Second gentleman Doug Emhoff on Saturday acknowledged that his first marriage was rocky and admitted to having an extramarital affair.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions,” Emhoff said, per a statement first obtained by CNN. “I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”
His comments followed reporting from The Daily Mail about the affair.
A source close to the matter told The Associated Press that the people that vetted Vice President Harris prior to her being selected as President Biden’s running mate four years ago were aware of the affair. Harris had also known about it before her wedding to Emhoff a little over a decade ago, the source said.
His ex-wife, Kerstin, shared in a statement Saturday that they ended the marriage “for a variety of reasons.”
Still, she added, “He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”
Emhoff’s acknowledgment comes as Harris has risen to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Biden stepped down from the race and endorsed her last month. She has faced a slew of attacks about her family situation and racial identity, particularly from former President Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
Vance, in clips that have resurfaced online, criticized those on the Democratic side — including Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) — for being without children. He, however, said in a separate speech that he was not targeting those who couldn’t have kids for biological or medical reasons.
“How does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” Vance said in 2021, referring to Harris and others as “childless cat ladies,” and adding that “the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.”
The comments have again sparked backlash among Democrats, and the Ohio senator doubled down on the rhetoric as “sarcastic” and turned again to attacking Democrats as “anti-family.” Trump has also defended his vice-presidential pick.
Harris, however, has two stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff, by way of the second gentleman.
The Hill has reached out to Harris’s campaign for comment.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.